CHAPTER ONE: GIFT FROM GOD
“The clever person is the one who knows how to save his soul.” In this one simple sentence, Saint Nemetallah Al-Hardini has given us a profound and comprehensive formula for a fruitful life.
Saint Nemetallah Kassab Al-Hardini was born in the year 1810 in Hardine, a historic Maronite village. He was the third of seven children born to Gerghis and Mariam Kassab, a devout and God-fearing couple. It is notable that four of the seven children became consecrated to God in a Religious Order. The eldest child, a son named Elias, joined the Lebanese Maronite Order and took the name “Elisha” when he took his vows; the second child, Anthony, married and then entered the priesthood; the third child was Saint Nemetallah, and the fourth child, a daughter named Masihiyat (Christine) became a nun and entered the convent of Saint John Hrash.
The baptismal name of Saint Nemetallah was Joseph, after his maternal grandfather, Father Joseph Ra’ad Yaqoub, who was a pious priest. Under the influence of Father Joseph, the younger Joseph began to develop a strong sense of spirituality. At the village school, where he learned to read Arabic and Syriac, he was known to have preferred solitude over the company of his peers, in order to commune with God through prayer and self-examination.
At the age of ten, he was sent to Tannourine, to live with his grandfather Father Joseph Ra’ad. In Tannourine, at the School of Saint Anthony Haoub, he continued his learning of Arabic and Syriac at an advanced level. In addition, he also studied mathematics and learned about serving Mass as well as other religious rituals such as the chanting of hymns and prayers for the dead. Every morning, the young Joseph would accompany his grandfather to church and serve Mass. He would receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary and listen to his grandfather’s sermon. The lives of saints and stories of the courage exhibited by martyrs held a special interest for him.
In 1823, at the age of 13, Joseph returned home to Hardine where he continued his religious devotion by serving Mass, receiving Communion, reciting prayers and doing theological reading. In the spirit of obedience, piety and respect, he also shared in the housework and helped his father with manual labour. While his brothers asked others to work the land, Joseph worked his lands with his own hands.
In Hardine, Father Mikhayel Tabet, the pastor of the village parish, became his spiritual guide. After serving Mass for him and receiving Communion at his hands, Joseph would stay by Father Mikhayel’s side and join him in all the religious celebrations.
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